Notice of Statutory Reconsideration of Petitions for Trade Adjustment Assistance

AGENCY:

Employment and Training Administration, Labor.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

On June 29, 2015, President Obama signed into law the Trade Adjustment Assistance Reauthorization Act of 2015 (TAARA 2015), title IV of the Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015, Public Law 114-27. In accordance with Section 405(a) of TAARA 2015, which amended the Trade Act of 1974, Public Law 93-618 (“the Trade Act”), the Director of the Office of Trade Adjustment Assistance, Employment and Training Administration (OTAA) has taken the following action for petitions that were filed with the Secretary of Labor under section 221(a) of the Trade Act on or after January 1, 2014, and before June 29, 2015, and are identified in the Appendices to this notice.

OTAA has reopened investigations of petitions identified in Appendix A to reconsider all negative determinations on petitions filed on or after January 1, 2014, and before June 29, 2015, and will further investigate those petitions to determine whether the workers are eligible to apply for adjustment assistance under the provisions of section 222 of the Trade Act in effect on June 29, 2015, which were in effect before January 1, 2014. If eligible under these requirements, OTAA will certify the group of workers as eligible to apply for adjustment assistance under title II of the Trade Act, as amended by TAARA 2015.

OTAA also is continuing to investigate those petitions identified in Appendix B for which no determination was issued before June 29, 2015, to determine whether the workers are eligible to apply for adjustment assistance under the provisions of section 222 of the Trade Act in effect on June 29, 2015, which were in effect before January 1, 2014. If eligible under these requirements, OTAA will certify the group of workers as eligible to apply for adjustment assistance under title II of the Trade Act.

Further, worker groups that did not submit petitions between January 1, 2014 and June 29, 2015, but wish to be considered under the group eligibility for workers based on the 2015 Program may file a new petition within 90 days of enactment of the new 2015 law which was signed by President Barak Obama on June 29, 2015. This would include service sector workers as well as worker groups whose jobs are adversely affected by trade from countries that are not parties to Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with the United States, including China and India. While all petitions filed on and after June 29, 2015, will be investigated under the 2015 Program worker group eligibility criteria, the TAARA 2015 provides that for petitions filed by MIDNIGHT (12:00 AM EASTERN TIME), SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2015, that are certified, the certification will cover all members of the worker group who are separated or threatened with separations during the period beginning January 1, 2014, instead of a beginning date of no more than one year before the date of the petition, and generally ending two years after the date of certification. Each of those certifications will describe the worker group and specify the January 1, 2014, beginning date and the ending dates of the certification period.

DATES:

This Notice is effective immediately/June 29, 2015.

For Further Information or Questions on Statutory Reconsiderations for Trade Adjustment Assistance:

Please contact the 1-877-US2-JOBS (TTY) 1-877-889-5627 (both lines are Toll free) or via the Internet at www.doleta.gov/tradeact.